June 8, 2004 -- WHO says "America's Next Top Model" has to be a woman?
Bravo has ordered eight one-hour episodes of "Manhunt: The Search for America's Most Gorgeous Male Model" for this fall. Fifteen amateur hunks will compete for a one-year contract from international modeling agency IMG.

"Though men's fashion is exploding onto the pop-culture and style scene — witness the metrosexual phenomenon—and female models have been given superstar status for years," says a casting call notice on Bravo's website (www.bravotv.com/Contestants/), "little attention has been paid to their male counterparts ... until now."

Similar in format to the UPN hit, "Manhunt" chronicles how the amateur models cope with the rigors of living life on the runways and on the road.

"This explores the flip side of those laddie magazines," says Bravo president Lauren Zalaznick, referring to the likes of Maxim and FHM. "This is more in the GQ/Esquire territory."